Concreatures – premium skatepark construction

We are fortunate enough to have some of the best skatepark builders in the business based here in Malmö. Building skateparks in concrete is no easy task and it is a blessing to cooperate with such skilled professionals. Bryggeriet have been working together with Dave Toms and Jeremy Butterworth ever since the building of Stapelbäddsparken in 2005 and some time after that they formed their own company called Concreatures.

Text by John Dahlquist.

con·crea·ture

noun

1. – something created out of concrete

2. – a living being with a dedication to shaping concrete

3. – a proficient oriental godess

“Dave Toms and Jeremy “Chooky” Butterworth were brought up in the concrete skateparks of Australia in the mid eighties. As time went by they dug deeper, not only into the world of skateboarding, but also into the skateparks. Soon they found themselves in knee high concrete with a trowel in one hand and a blue print in the other. Any gangster on “a ride” knows that the only way not to get stuck is to move around before the concrete burns. Thus Chooky and Dave kept moving, building one park after the other traveling and working all over Australia. Some people become professional skateboarders, some become car salesmen. Dave and Chooky became Concreatures forming a company around what they love and do best, shape earth, water and cement into skateparks. Soon after they put their 40th park on their curriculum vitae an opportunity came up to take their skills over seas.

Lomma Skatepark finished in july 2012. Design Bryggeriet and construction by Concreatures

In 2005 Dave and Chooky were brought around the globe to Sweden to help out on a skatepark, Stapelbäddsparken, the crown jewel of the Swedish skateparks. They brought their tools and 20 years of skatepark experience along and soon became essential in building not only a park for the locals but a whole new scene. Since then the Concreatures have been Sweden based and designed and built parks all over Europe including the Basque country, Ireland, UK and Finland.

As more parks pop up all over the world it becomes obvious to skaters as well as Cities and Kommunes that a good skatepark takes more than just a blue print and a concrete pump. Good craftsmanship and understanding of skateboarding as a whole is a condition for quality, allowing the Concreatures to proceed in their quest to cover Europe in concrete. Corners, hips, and deep ends are topped off with Viking Blocks for the grind that you have got to love. Rapapapapapa!

Dave Toms frontside air straight into the final of Ultra Bowl at Stapelbäddsparken. Photo Dave Östlund

When winter and snow comes around the work boots are swopped for thongs and a visit home. Other than that they only take breaks for the occasional steak. You can take an Aussie out of Australia but you can never make him quit BBQ-ing…Mixing their Australian skatepark heritage, great craftsmanship and sheer love for skateboarding into the concrete gives the baby butt smooth finish that has become the Concreatures trademark.
The bottom line is that these boys are all about quality and love for skateboarding. Passion, skateboard culture and the philosophy behind each design may all be very abstract things, but go to their website and you will discover that what these guys do is very concrete:

www.concreatures.com

If you have skated in any of the following cities in Sweden it is likely that you have been to one of Concreature’s creations, done either under their own flag or together with another company:

Stapelbäddsparken
Sibbarp skatepark
Jönköping skatepark
Halmstad skatepark
Oxie skatepark
Stehag skatepark
Bara skatepark
Norrköping skatepark
Södertelje skatepark
Trelleborg skatepark
Avesta skatepark
Vetlanda skatepark
Båstad skatepark
Hässleholm skatepark
Laholm skatepark
Lomma skatepark
Nacka skatepark
Sölvesborg skatepark (under construction)
….and a few we forgot.